Silent dictation mask



Jan. 13, 1953 H. L. WEBB 2,625,615

SILENT DICTATION MASK Filed May 4, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l 2 SHEETS$HEET 2 floracel. F 65 5 Flled May 4, 1948 Patented Jan. 13, 1953 SILENT DICTATIONMASK' Horace L. Webb, Vienna, Va., assignor to Dictavox Company, Inc., Washington, D. 0., a corporation of Delaware Application May 4, 1948, Serial'No. 25,008

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a device or mask for use in court reporting, assemblies or other gatherings to receive directly the uttered or other sound in such manner as to be non-disturbing to adjacent or surrounding participants, spectators or other persons.

A prime object is to provide a novel article of this character wherein a sound absorbing or muffling means is included so that sound may be uttered at normal voice ranges, although unnoticeably and practically silent relative to adjacent persons.

Another important object is to provide such a device which includes a microphone ,for operative connection to a dictating machine and soundabsorbing or mufiiing means mountin andin ad- Vance of the microphone, which device is generally of novelshape to facilitate correct positioning and holding in one hand and control through manipulation by a finger of that hand.

A third aim is to provide the device generally in the form of a casing having a flexible mask member or face-fitting end of an area and novel shape to surround both .themouth' and nose and also with provision at an otherwiseclosed end for breathing duringactual use.

Still another aim is "to carry out-the last-mentioned object by providing acasing-ha-ving a longitudinal hump along the top 'adjacent'which the casing carries a noiseless switch adapted for connection to a dictating machine, which switch is operatively connected toamicrophone mounted by a frictionally secured flexible face fittingmask end.

Further, an important object is to provide constructions to contain sound absorbing or muflling means in the nature of a mass or sound ba-file members.

Various additional objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of theimprovedmask or dictating device;

.Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an end elevationlooking through the dictating or front end of the device;

Fig. 4 is a rear view of such device partly-broken away to disclose details;

Fig. 5 is a substantially central longitudinal sectional view through the device;

Fig. 6 is a view generally similar to Fig. '5, but taken throughamodifiedform; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view partly in elevarounded to such machine.

2 tion and partly in section of a modified form of mask'mem'ber which may be used.

Referring specifically to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or similar parts, and first to the form of Figs. 1 to 5, 9 designates a casing or chamber of any suitable length and material, such as modern plastic, metal like aluminum or magnesium in view of its light weight. or otherwise and in any approved size. As shown, casing 9 is a hollow generally cylindrical body provided with a longitudinal hump l0 closed at one end H and open at the other end. Said end or closure l I may be removable and in the form of a friction cap additionally held in place by the frictional engagement therewith of spring clips I? carried by casing 9. A rubber or other gasket I3 is interposed between the closure and adjacent end edge of casing 9. At the open or dictation end of the casing 9, it carries a soft rubber or other flexible mask-like body It having an inwardly depressed diaphragm 15 of a diameter greater than the bore of the casing 9 and removably frictionally wedged and held operatively in place in the casing. Body I4 also carries a relatively thin flange 16 extending around and inwardly from the periphery of the diaphragm t5 and terminating at its free margin in spaced relation to said diaphragm about a pear-shaped opening ll. Such flange I6 contacts and fits the face of a dictator and surrounds or encloses the mouth, and also the nose which are accommodated in said opening ll. Further to assure silence in dictating, a generally longitudinally disposed wide arcuate flange It extends from the margin of diaphragm Hi which contacts the dictators face beneath the chin and sides of the face. While the body Id may be a single or integral flexible body, suitably textile fabric reinforced if desired, it may, nevertheless, becomposed of a plurality of parts.

It is to be noted that the dictating end of the casing '9 generally curves or extends downwardly and forwardly at H! and that the parts of the mask-like body it correspondingly follow the same general curvature or rormation with a view to better fitting the face about the chin, mouth and nose.

Said diaphragm l5 carries a microphone 20 at its lower portion which is through conductors 2| operatively connected to a conventional dictating machine. and one of which wires may be A conventional switch 22 through conductors 23 controls operation of the. said dictating machine, such con- 25 therethrough (Figs. 1 and 4).

ductors 21 and 23 passing out of the casing through a thimble 24.

The cross-sectional shape of the casing 9 facilitates its being held in the palm with assurance of correct positioning for application to the face, and the switch 22 is located at the rear of the casing in the valley at the base of the hump so that it may be pressed for closing by a finger of the same hand which holds it and without sacrificing the degree of gripping or holding thereof by that hand.

Since the body I4 is flexible and elastic, it will stretch or dilate in mounting the microphone 20 and then snap into a peripheral groove 23 of the latter to removably retain it in place. Said diaphragm l5 above the microphone has a suitable number of breather openings 24 therethrough and the body 9 at the rear and adjacent the bottom has one or more suitable breather openings In order to avoid contact of the casing 9 and end II interiorly of the device and generally absorb sound, they are preferably lined with felt or the like at 25 and 21. Also the form of Figs. 1 to 5 is also filled with a sound-absorbing mass of cellulosic material, felt or the like M. Also to avoid sound reflection and increase absorption, the depressed diaphragm i5 on its outer surface is preferably lined with felt, textile fabric or the equivalent F.

In the use of the device described, the casing is held in the left hand with hump l9 uppermost so that switch 22 will naturally be in a position for operation by a finger of that hand without sacrifice of its grip on the casing. At the same time, this results in holding the device accurately in position to be readily applied to the face with flange ll contacting the face, flange l8 extending under and about the chin and sides of the face, and with the mouth and nose disposed in the opening 11. As a result, the body It is practically sealed against the face. The operator can then talk or dictate with transmission of sound by the microphone 20 to the dictating machine with the latter operating under control of switch 22. At the same time, such talking or dictation will be silent with respect to all surrounding persons and the dictator or user can freely breathe through the openings 24.

A modified form of the invention is shown in Fig, 6 which differs from the preceding form only in omitting the sound absorbing mass M and substituting bafiles therefor. Accordingly the same reference numerals for corresponding parts are used in both forms. These baffles are designated 28 and at their periphery engage the adjacent portions of the felt 26 and both sides of such bafiles have sound-absorbing material such as felt 29 bounded or otherwise secured thereto over their entire area. Such baffles 28 may be made of any suitable material, for instance modern plastic, metal like the casing or the like, and they may be of any preferable shape, for instance conical as shown, fiat, or otherwise. Sound in passing through the bafiles employed will take a tortuous path in that openings 30 are provided above the microphone here shown at 20' in lieu of and to perform the same function as the series of openings 24.

Various changes may be resorted to, provided they fall within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the class described comprising a generally tubular casing open at both ends, a face-receiving mask member of resilient material wedge-fitted into one of said ends, said member including a diaphragm disposed across the interior of the casing and extending interiorly thereof inwardly and downwardly and then downwardly and outwardly, a microphone carried by said diaphragm at the downwardly and outwardly extending portion thereof, a face engaging flange returned inwardly from the margin of said diaphragm over said diaphragm with its inner edge spaced from the diaphragm and leaving a space of a shape and size to receive the mouth and nose, an outwardly extending flange on the mask member to engage the face adjacent the chin, the latter flange extending below the casing, said casing at said one end terminating at a surface extending downwardly and rearwardly, said first-mentioned flange corresponding approximately to the direction of said surface, a, displaceable closure at the other end of said casing, sound absorbing means within the casing between said diaphragm and said closure, and a control switch on said casing for said microphone.

2. An apparatus of the class described comprising a generally tubular and horizontal casing of a size to be grasped in one hand and open at both ends, said casing having an interiorly hollow hump at its top extending throughout its length, a face receiving mask member of resilient material shaped to extend into one end of said casing and the interior of said hump, said mask member being Wedge-fitted in said one end of said casing, the interior of said hollow, a microphone carried solely by said mask member, a switch to control said microphone located on said casing adjacent the rear end of said hump in position to be engaged and operated by a finger of the same hand which grasps the casing, a resilient flange on said mask member to engage the face adjacent the chin, said flange extending outwardly of and below the casing, a displaceable closure at the other end of said casing, and sound absorbing means within the casing between said closure and mask member.

HORACE L. W'EBB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 901,108 Kracker' Oct. 13, 1908 1,382,865 Soderling June 28, 1921 1,508,310 Van Houte Sept. 9, 1924 1,563,586 Pierman Dec. 1, 1925 2,390,488 Alford Dec. 11, 1945 2,485,278 Gilman Oct. 18, 1949 2,508,581 Marrow May 23, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 26,315 Great Britain Dec. 5, 1908 549,518 Great Britain Nov. 25,1942 

